Douglas High offensive lineman Luiz Vega (77) and Curtis Haliwell (73) prepare to snap the ball Friday against Reed.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
Douglas and Bishop Manogue will clash Thursday in a regular season finale that – at least in terms of standings – doesn’t carry any postseason ramifications.
That doesn’t mean the game is meaningless, especially for a Tigers’ team coming off a 35-16 loss to Reed last week in a game that featured several Douglas miscues.
Douglas has lost its last four matchups against the Catholic school powerhouse.
Thursday’s contest will make for an battle of strategy as well as Bishop Manogue – the No. 1 seed – will receive an opening round bye in the postseason before facing the winner of the first round playoff game between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds in the Class 5A North Division II.
Douglas is locked into the No. 4 seed, meaning a rematch could be looming in a couple weeks.
MATCHING THE MINERS
Bishop Manogue is undefeated in league play with an offense that has accumulated more than 1,500 yards passing and rushing through its first nine games.
Quarterback Brandon Mann (No. 12) has 1,736 yards passing this season with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions, but has shown a capability to tuck it and run if he needs with 441 yards on the ground.
“I expect them to attack through the air, but coach (Ernie) Howren does a great job of mixing it up,” said Douglas head coach Kyle Mays. “They have athletes all over the field and that quarterback has a great arm. (Mann) runs tough. He runs angry sometimes.”
Mann has plenty of weapons to distribute the ball too, including Pele Masina (No. 20), Demari Stacker (No. 19) and Dulin Hukari (No. 8).
Masina leads the team in rushing with 601 yards on 103 carries and eight touchdowns.
Stacker, a freshman, has been Mann’s favorite target through the air with a team-high 44 catches for 482 yards and four touchdowns.
Hukari is close behind him with 404 yards receiving and six touchdowns.
“We always have to mix things up against teams that are explosive like Manogue,” said Mays. “(Masina) has gotten better every single game. Someone earlier compared him to O.J. Simpson because he has a big, long stride. He gets out in the open and he’s going to be gone.”
Defensively, Bishop Manogue has been able to wreak havoc in the backfield this season with 51 tackles for loss and 18 sacks.
Junior Marley Spuhler (No. 9) leads the Miners with 11.5 tackles for loss and 63 total tackles. He’s also been credited with three sacks.
Mays expects the Miner defense to be as physical and as fast as any team Douglas has seen this season.
“They’ve been coaching that same defense for a long time and they are pretty good at it. They know all the adjustments and movements,” said Mays.
OVARD EXCELLING UNDER CENTER
Douglas High quarterback Jackson Ovard hasn’t always caught the limelight with the Tigers’ weapons all over the field, but his performance this past Friday against Reed was noteworthy. Ovard completed 21-of-23 passes for 226 yards against the Raiders.
The senior captain showed poise with the Tigers trailing throughout the contest and has shown an increased ability to keep plays alive with his mobility.
With Douglas’ power running game, the Tigers have turned to more play action and Ovard’s ability to fake the run left multiple Reed defenders on skates this past Friday.
So far this season, Ovard is fourth in the league with 1,482 passing yards but is second in passer rating with a 124 behind only Reed QB Nishaan Bajwa.
Ovard is now the most efficient quarterback in the Class 5A North Division II with a 71.3 percent completion percentage.
“I think the surprising part the past couple of weeks has been his ability to extend plays and stay in the pocket,” said Mays. “I thought he did a great job of extending plays and finding guys in a window with some space. … He’s been playing really well and his play fakes are really, really good.”